𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃, ⁱˢⁱᵃʰ ʲᵉˢᵘˢ

𝟎𝟎𝟏

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃
chapter 1

Juliet ran after her older brother, laughing as she did so. "Henry slow down!" she begged as she ran through the grass. He looked over his shoulder, stopping to let her catch up with him.

"You're too fast," she sighed, screaming when he picked up up and spun her around.

"No, Juliet, you're just slow." he teased, putting her down. She scowled at him and pushed his shoulder. He grinned and pushed her back. "Mum is going to go mad, you've gotten your dress all muddy." he said, pointing at the light blue fabric.

"Oh god," Juliet whispered, looking down. "It's fine, blame me. Say i pushed you over or something—" the older boy said, placing a hand on her back as they walked back to the house.

"Who is that?" she pointed at the man in the flat cap who was walking up the path.

"Come on in," their mother said. "Did you have a good game?" she asked, frowning at the mud on her daughters dress. "I'm starving," Henry said before she could complain. "Anything for lunch?" he asked.

"In you go, go wash your hands i'll get you something in a minute." Their mother assured.

"Come on, you," Henry urged, pushing her softly toward the door. Juliet looked back at the man as she followed her brother through the gate.

"Mrs Johnson?" The man with the flat cap spoke, stopping outside the gate. "Yes, who are you?" she asked with a slight frown.

"I'm from Birmingham council, Bordesley Parish," he began.

"No one wrote to me, what do you want?" she spoke lowly. Henry stopped at the door, taking a look at the older man who had began speaking to his mother. "I would like to talk about your son, about Henry. And Juliet if you'll allow?" the man said. "Can i come in?"

"I'd rather you didn't, they don't like to talk about this," She refused.

"I see," he sighed. "So what do Henry and Juliet know about their real identity, Mrs Johnson?" he questioned. "I only deal with Mr Ross from the agency, and he only ever writes so why are you here in person?" She shook her head.

"Well the boy is approaching his eighteenth birthday—" he began but was quickly cut off by the woman.

"This isn't right. You're not from the Council, something isn't right" she argued. "What do they know, Mrs Johnson?" He pleaded. "They know their mother couldn't cope, she drank too much, used opium, used to beat Henry." She listed.

Juliet sat by the window, watching. "Jules, get away from the window." Henry tried. She hushed him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him beside her, making him watch.

"But that isn't the truth it it?" The man disagreed. "Look i think you should come back when my husband is here" Mrs Johnson spoke. "Do they know what their real names are?" The man squinted and stared right at her. "Their real name is Johnson. Juliet and Henry Johnson. Now i would like you to go away and come back when my husband is here." She said shakily.

The man's eyes shifted to the boy approaching from behind, the smaller girl close to him. Both sharing an uncanny resemblance to one another.

"The truth is, they were taken from their mother without her permission," he spoke slightly louder so the kids could hear.

She turned around. "Henry go back inside, please, take your sister."

Henry placed a hand in front of Juliet, stopping her from going further. "Who are you?" he asked the man. Juliet observed him. "Please, Henry, go." their mother begged.

"Your real name is Micheal Gray, and yours is Florence Gray—" he looked at the children. "No!" Their mother said, stressed.

"Your real mother wants to see you," he pulled a card out. "Her address is on the back of this card." Mrs Johnson slapped his arm as Henry took the card. "She just wants to talk."

"Go away!" Mrs Johnson shouted. "She just wants to talk—" he repeated before she could fully push him away from the garden.

Juliet took the card from her brothers hand, reading it. "Go away and leave us alone!" the woman shouted again. Henry stepped forward, watching a he left, Juliet peering over his shoulder. "Come on let's go back inside. I'll get you something to eat, come on Henry." Their mother begged, clearly distressed about something.

-

"Who do you think he was?" Juliet whispered as Henry entered the room. "I'm not sure," he glanced out the window as the sun went down and placed the candle beside it.

"Are you going to go?" she asked him, pulling her knees to her chest as she sat on his bed. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she wanted an answer. He bit his lip. "Yeah, i think so.." he responded, doubtfully.

"Henry, please take me with you!" The girl grabbed his arm. He looked at her sadly. "Please!" she begged. "You can't leave me here—" Juliet looked at him with pleading eyes. He looked over his shoulder at the door. Henry, or Micheal, treated his little sister as if she was the best thing in the world. And to him, she was. When they got taken away, separated from their mother and other sister, she was all he had.

No matter what family they were put into, she was the only one he truly knew. He'd never let anything happen to her.

"Jules—" he sat, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If you come with me, you need to understand that just because whoever address is on this card is our real mother, does not mean you should expect the best." he looked into her eyes. "It's Birmingham, Juliet."

"I know—" she nodded. "I know, and i want to come with you." She assured. He swallowed hard, sighing. She held her pinky finger out. "I'll be good, i promise."

A small smile made its way to his face. "We will leave early tomorrow, so that mum, or well i'm not sure what to call her. But so she can't stop us, yeah? We will leave her a note, and get on the next train to Birmingham."

She nodded quickly, jumping off the bed and grabbing her small suitcase.

The Gray siblings were 17 and 14. Micheal turning 18 in a few weeks and Florence turning fifteen the month after.

They were the kids of Polly Gray, or better known as Polly Shelby, the aunt of the Shelby boys and their sister. When the two were young, they'd been taken off their mother, along with their sister who was separated during the transfer. They claimed Polly was unfit. The also fed the new families false information about their real mother, that she'd abuse them.